CELEB IN LUCKNOW

Deep Saxena

Sufi singer Kavita Seth, best known for her Bollywood numbers like ‘Iktara’, ‘Mora piya’ and ‘Tum hi ho Bandhu’, remains unfazed by the limited number of songs she has sung in films. Instead, what matters to her is the quality of songs she is lending her voice to. “By God’s grace all the songs I sung have been well received because they were brilliantly written. I may have sung lesser number of songs but they all have a strong connect with listeners. They are all spiritual in their own way.”

Talking more about her choice of songs, the melodious singer, who was in the city for a performance, said, “My criterion of selecting a song is and will be only lyrics. And, then what makes me take a song is the music director; after this I don’t care which film it is for or which actor will feature in it.” Her song ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ has been a party anthem for a long time now. “After ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’, I was offered a lot of item songs which I had to turn down. I was also offered ‘Hooka Bar’ which I refused point blank. As far as ‘Tumhi Ho…’, though it is a fast number, its lyrics are very Sufiana and that made me take up the song.” Remembering an incident about her ‘Jeetain hai chal’ (written by Prasoon Joshi for ‘Neerja’), she said, “One day a young girl came to me and said that after listening to the song she stopped having suicide ideas. Music is a very powerful medium and can change lives in many ways.”

As a singer-composer, she is also busy with her own musical series ‘Main Kavita Hoon.’ “This series is very close to my heart. In each concert I will select a poet and then compose and sing their work. I started with Dr Waseem Barelvi’s work which is already a big hit, followed by Amrita Pritam and Dr Bashir Badr’s poetries. Next, I am doing Deepti Mishra’s work in March, which is based on Women’s Day. I have found this goldmine and am busy selecting their work, composing them and then presenting them. I am happy that I took up this project as it is creatively satisfying. The series is available on my YouTube channel and on a musical platform.”

Giving an insight of her multi-tasking side, she said, “I have another project that I will be starting next. Someone has compiled and gave me 108 shlokas from Bhagwad Gita, which I will be taking up soon. Simultaneously, I am also working on chants. Besides, I am jamming with Tibetan and Swiz artistes and have also done a concert with them. I am also teaming up with Moroccan artistes. So, lot is happening internationally too besides my regular concerts. All these collaborations give fresh energy and different music.”

When asked about her upcoming film project, she said, “Many ask me this but it’s not in my hand; instead it is up to the music directors to take a call. I am open to film projects too. I guess since I sing less, there is some exclusivity. I will prefer less but quality work,” concludes the singer who hails from Bareilly.